South Longford national school teachers and pupils to get 'state-of-the-art building they deserve'

All three of Ballymahon’s schools are now set for major upgrades following an announcement earlier this week that St Matthew’s National School has been approved for a twelve classroom extension.

This brings to three the number of major announcements for Ballymahon schools over the past 13 months, setting the town up for an unprecedented €15m plus capital investment in the local schools’ infrastructure.

The already thriving south Longford primary school currently educates just over 360 boys and girls in the Ballymahon area and will have the capacity to improve the learning experience for its pupils and teachers as the school looks forward to further development and expansion in the future.

Principal of St Matthew’s National School, Herbert Farrell, said that the news of the extension marked the third permanent extension to the school since it opened in 2014.

“It is something the Board of Management worked on pre-Covid and indeed throughout Covid and they have worked hard with the department in making a case for this badly needed extension,” Mr Farrell told the Longford Leader.

The school had initially been sanctioned to be a 16-classroom school and this extension will bring it to that, Mr Farrell confirmed. There are currently three “modular” classrooms, he said, and the full extension will benefit the school significantly.

“The school is an exceptionally strong place at this time and it will be a huge relief to the children, the staff and the teachers to get the state-of-the-art school they deserve,” he added.

The planned extension will see twelve new classrooms added to the school, including five special education teacher rooms, a new staff room, a general-purpose room, and the reconfiguration of the existing school.

Welcoming the news earlier this week, Longford/Westmeath TD Joe Flaherty paid tribute to the Board of Management at St Matthew’s NS as well as principal and deputy principal, Herbert Farrell and Bryan Kennedy, who have passionately promoted the project.

The latest announcement for Ballymahon comes on the back of major expansion plans announced for both the  Mercy Secondary and Vocational School in the past 13 months.

Deputy Flaherty explained that both of these projects are now progressing through the design stage in anticipation of formal planning applications.

“I am especially pleased that all three extensions will place an unprecedented emphasis on the provision of special education,” he said.

“All three projects combined will ensure that Ballymahon will be one of the most inclusive and best-equipped towns in the country when it comes to special education.”

Last November, approval was announced for 16 new classrooms at Mercy Secondary School including two general classrooms, two special education needs classrooms, two special education teacher rooms, one construction room, one tech room (with prep area), two two tech projects stores, two science labs with prep area, one graphics room, one multimedia room, one music room and one textiles room.

Meanwhile, last February details were confirmed of a major announcement for Ballymahon Vocational School with work ongoing on the design for an extension that will include four general classrooms, four special education classrooms, two science labs and science preparations rooms, one art room, one art storage room and ancillary storage rooms.

Three Ballymahon schools poised for €15m plus expansion